Strange Happenings
by Pen2Computer
Summary: Set during the apocolypse. All the nightworld pairs are back, preparing for the end of the world and facing thier own personal battles with thier soulmates by thier side. Brief glimpses of Mal, Sarah, and the rest of the crew from Strange Fate.
1. Taken

Chapter One:

Poppy's Point of View:

Poppy North grimaced in pain as the man in the dark black suit slapped her across her right cheek. She tried, once again, to wiggle out of the custom made, wooden vampire handcuffs that her hands were trapped in.

"Where are you keeping them?" The man demanded in a low, gravelly voice. "Where _are _they?"

She kept her mouth shut firmly, resisting the urge to snap a witty comeback at him—that certainly wouldn't get her anywhere.

"Where are the wild powers? Talk!" The man commanded, frustrated. Another slap…and then from behind his back came a carefully sharpened wooden stake. Her eyes widened at the same time that she let out a bloodcurdling scream—she didn't think anyone could hear her, seeing as they were sealed in an almost air-tight stone room, but she couldn't help it. She knew James would be out of his mind looking for her by now…and if he just came close enough…close enough to _where _though? She had no idea where she was. Only that it was dark even for her sensitive vampire sight, and that it smelled like mold and mildew.

"But I don't know!" She lied unconvincingly. "It's not like they tell me anything about them!"

He held the stake higher and she squeezed her eyes shut…to feel the hurt that never came. From somewhere above her she heard a desperate cry of, "Poppy!" The man turned his head and seizing her advantage she kicked out at him, hitting him where it hurt most.

He let out a feral cry, and in his anger transformed into a very alarming looking werewolf—just as James, along with a few other people, burst into the underground room.

"Get away from her!" James yelled, his eyes flashed a menacing, deadly silver and then he was on the wolf. He drew a silver dagger from his boot and with one deadly plunge ended the fight. The wolf didn't even have the time to howl. A second went by, and then he turned to Poppy, giving her a perfect view of his eyes. Eyes that weren't just angry—they were dead frightened.

"It's okay," she comforted him. "I'm okay."

"But you almost weren't." He countered, coming over to her and enveloping her in a bear-hug—one she couldn't return because of her cuffs, but still…it was nice. Little sparks jumped in her heart, and the sense that she was absolutely safe washed over her. She could stay that way—with James holding her tight—forever.

"Come on you guys. We don't have forever. There's time for _that _later." There was Keller, always the practical one. A key pinged onto the ground next to her, and James gently freed her and scooped her up to her feet as the group headed toward the door. James, Keller, Quinn and Morgead were all there, all looking tense and guarded…looking as if they were hiding something. She had a feeling that something—bad—had happened while she had been captured.

"Guys?" She questioned slowly, not really wanting to know the answer. "Guys! What's happened? What's wrong?"

James glanced back at her, looking guilty. "Nothing."

She hit him. "What's nothing?"

She gave him time to answer as she scanned the house that they were in—it was just an abandoned little shack, not an enemy base, which meant that the wolf probably hadn't been planning on abducting her—he had simply saw her walking among the berry trees and pounced. As they got outside she realized that they were close to the secret base. Only a few miles away. She also realized that James had _still _not answered.

"Fine! If you won't tell me…Keller? Quinn? Morgead? What's happened? Why won't you guys tell me anything? I'm a part of this group as much as any of you are—I deserve to know if something's happened back at the base!"

They all looked awkward and out of place. Finally Morgead spoke up. "I—I don't think it's in our place to tell you, Poppy. Ask James."

"James…?"

"Look—let's get back to base, make sure you're all safe and then—,"

She could see she was getting nowhere so she did the only thing that she could. She leaned forward and kissed him.

Not to convince him to tell her, although that might have worked to, but so she could just see for herself…it didn't take long for the whirl of colors and sensations to take her, and by the time James realized what she was trying to do he was in no position to fight. No position to actually _try_ and stop it. It was times like this that she loved the soulmate principal…actually, she always loved the soulmate principal. But still. She flitted around his mind, peering under memories and thoughts, trying to find what happened.

_Poppy…_James warned…and then she found it. She played the clip in his mind, and watched the conversation with him and Lord Thierry. It was not a pleasant one. Not at all. The clip ended, and her sorrow alone was enough to send her out of the kiss. She and James were kneeling together on the floor, the other three of the group watching with sympathy and knowing.

"I'm so sorry, Poppy." She heard someone say. It didn't help. A moment passed.

"We'll find someway to get him back."

But would they?

"They won't have killed him."

How did they know that?

"I'm so, so sorry, Poppy."

Well, and so was she. Phil was gone. Kidnapped. By _them_. And it was all her fault.


	2. Least of the Worries

Disclaimer: Nothingness is what I own.

"_I'm so sorry, Poppy." She heard someone say. It didn't help. A moment passed._

"_We'll find someway to get him back." _

_But would they? _

"_They won't have killed him." _

_How did they know that? _

"_I'm so, so sorry, Poppy." _

_Well, and so was she. Phil was gone. Kidnapped. By them. And it was all her fault. _

Thierry's Point of View:

"Thierry? Are you OK?"

Thierry Descouedres was startled out of his reverie by the voice of his soul-mate, Hannah Snow. Normally he was always 100 percent happy—elated, flying actually—to hear her sweet, soulful voice, but today was an exception. He wasn't annoyed or angry at her, of course—he could never be. But he had bad news, and she could always read him like an open book.

"What's wrong?"

Just like that. How had she known so fast? And now how to say what was needed to say?

"Well, you know Poppy…" he trailed off, and she flashed him a look that said, '_Well, of course I know Poppy.' _Because the fact was that everyone in Circle Daybreak knew Poppy North. It was impossible not to. She was always helping someone, always cheering someone up, always flitting around their humongous hideout like a little pixie, and always just _doing _something in general. He knew that Hannah had taken an immediate liking to her, and what he had to say was not helpful upon that fact. He decided to just go straight for the point. "Her brother, Phillip—she may have mentioned him before—was kidnapped today."

There was a moment of silence as Hannah tensed. "Oh, no. Poor Poppy. She must feel terrible."

Thierry shifted again. "Well…actually. She may not know yet."

"Not know? Thierry! You have to tell her—it's her brother!"

"I know, I know, I know." He tried to placate her. It was almost funny, in a sense. He could never get use to how she ordered her around like that, unlike anyone else he knew, and even funnier, how he always took her commands without question. "But James knows, and so it's only a matter of time before—,"

The door to Thierry's room burst open.

"Thierry!" Poppy moaned, staggering in. James was close behind her, trying to soothe her obviously frazzled nerves. "Thierry—what am I going to do?"

"Oh Poppy," Hannah seemed almost as heartbroken as Poppy was as she enveloped the much smaller girl in her arms. "I'm so sorry."

"As am I," Thierry managed to add, if a bit awkwardly. He may have been the Lord of the Night World but he definitely wasn't the Lord of sentimental situations.

Poppy managed a hiccup. "E-everyone keeps saying that! A-and I appreciate it, you know I do…but sorry won't help Phil. I don't _want _any sentimental gushings right now…I don't need them. I need to find Phil."

This was an area that Thierry was _much _more comfortable on. "I understand. Here's what I know: Phillip was still working in one of our more secluded Daybreak hideouts as of yesterday, still experimenting with his new witch powers. Besides him, no one else at the hideout was, in any way I know of, associated with any of us at the main Circle Daybreak center. I believe the others simply found out about that center, and infiltrated it until they knew all the basic information, including Phillip's connection to you, and sub sequential the rest of us, including our four wild powers. They probably kidnapped him, hoping to get information about us."

Thierry watched with sympathy as Poppy's breath caught at the many ways they could try and 'persuade' him to give them information…information that Thierry knew he didn't have. Poppy's knees buckled, and James arm snaked gently around her waist.

"What can I do?" Poppy asked.

"I don't know, Poppy. I don't even know if he's still alive—,"

A little whimper escaped Poppy's mouth and he instantly regretted his words. Especially when Hannah turned to him and gave him 'that look'. The look that meant '_Thierry! Why would you say that?' _

"I'm sorry—I didn't mean it like that. I was just saying that there, um, might be a slight possibility that _maybe_…"

The doors burst open again. Really, did Thierry have _no_ privacy? Had anyone ever heard of _knocking_?

"Lord Thierry," Sarah Strange addressed him quietly, with a small little wave. On either side her two companions/guards—Mal and Kierlan—flanked her.

"Something wrong?" Well, of course there was, because God forbid something ever go right…

She paused, hesitating for an instant. "I don't know. But I just had another vision."

Oh, _please _let it be good—please, please, please…Thierry mentally begged. After all, sometimes it was hard to be a ruler when all the cards were against you in life. Sometimes you just wanted to have the night for your own…watch a DVD or two, snuggle up with your soulmate…things like that.

"It was a room. Brightly lit and very roomy, with gold walls and a large chandelier. There was a single chair in the middle of it. And a boy was tied to it—he looked, well, human. I don't think he was a vampire, but maybe he was a shifter? Or a witch? I don't know, I still haven't had much experience in this…but anyways, he was tied up and this man was staring at him really hard—and—and the guy had horns on his head. Four of them. Tiny though, I could barely see them through his hair."

And then before Sarah could continue Thierry slumped to his haunches, and then onto the floor.

"Dragon."

The voice of him and three others echoed throughout the now completely silent room. He took a moment to give some composure to his stance and then stood up. He opened his mouth but Poppy's words were out before his.

"Oh, Sarah! What did he look like? What did the boy look like? Do you remember?"

"I—yes. I remember him." Sarah paused in discomfort, and Thierry watched with interest as both Mal and Kierlan reached out a hand to stroke her palm at the exact same time. The two looked straight up as they saw each other's hand, and both gave a hard glare at the other before reluctantly letting her go altogether. "In fact…Poppy…it's the strangest thing, but…he—he reminded me of you."

Poppy gasped. "Phil. Oh, no. A dragon! I have to go—I have to go save him. I can't just sit here and do nothing! I can't, Thierry you realize that, don't you?"

Thierry paused—he knew that Poppy should go, but on the other hand what if she didn't come back? Dragons were deadly dangerous…and on their turf, all the more.

"Yes, he realizes that." Hannah's voice confirmed. "He realizes it so much that he's going to let me go with you."

"What?" That got his attention. "What did you just say?"

"I'm going with her, Thierry."

"No. Absolutely not—it's too dangerous."

"I'm not arguing with you on this one." Her mouth was set in that all too familiar way. Her eyes flashed a ruddy ice grey at him, daring him to say another word. But he couldn't let her go. He had already lost her so many times!

"I'm not letting you go!"

"Thierry's right Hannah—Daybreak needs you here." Poppy joined, sounding sorrowful but convinced.

"Well, you need me with you! Don't argue that! Thierry, for Lord's sake I can take care of myself. Rashel personally taught me how to use a knife, and she's one of the best! I may not be the greatest, but I'm not bad."

"But—,"

"Come on Poppy. We'll need to prepare. Our first stop will obviously be the Circle Daybreak center that Phil was kidnapped from. And from there we'll go wherever."

Thierry sensed he was fighting a losing battle, so he did the only thing he could think to do. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."

Hannah turned, placing one delicate hand on his chest. He concentrated on ignoring the startings of the gentle haze that always surrounded him whenever she got too close, and tried to listen to the words coming from her mouth. "No, Thierry. They really _do _need you here. You're the Lord of Circle Daybreak, Thierry. You have your own responsibilities. And I think you know that. Now, come _on _Poppy. We have a lot of work to do."

Hannah grabbed Poppy's hand and pulled, before hesitating for a second. She turned toward him with a meek smile, rose on her tiptoes, and gave him one quick kiss on the lips. A kiss that lasted only five seconds, but still managed to smolder. "I promise: I'll come back."

He nodded, too choked up to say anything to her. He watched with growing discomfort as she, Poppy, and James left the room together. His own heart seemed to pull against his chest, trying to make him follow Hannah. What if she got hurt? What if she was kidnapped? What if she died? What if—

"Don't concentrate so much on that." Sarah's voice startled him—he hadn't realized that she was still in the room. "I'm sorry to say that pretty soon, their little expidenture will be the _least _of your worries. You have some preparing to do yourself."

Okay! So that's chapter two! Please review! Good, bad, all appreciated! :D


	3. Gone

Disclaimer: I own absolutely, positively, really actually, nothing.

_He nodded, too choked up to say anything to her. He watched with growing discomfort as she, Poppy, and James left the room together. His own heart seemed to pull against his chest, trying to make him follow Hannah. What if she got hurt? What if she was kidnapped? What if she died? What if—_

"_Don't concentrate so much on that." Sarah's voice startled him—he hadn't realized that she was still in the room. "I'm sorry to say that pretty soon, their little expidenture will be the least of your worries. You have some preparing to do yourself." _

Thea's Point of View

"Thea! Thea!"

Thea Harman turned toward the voice that was frantically calling her name. It was Oakley Star, one of the head healers in the San Francisco Daybreak center. Lord Thierry had assigned Thea, along with her soulmate Eric Ross, to travel from center to center checking up on how they were doing.

"Yes, Oakley?"

She was not unduly worried. Oakley often managed to work herself into an extreme frenzy over things like shortages on chicken broth.

"Thea! We have visitors!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! And well, they asked to speak to the head of the center, and normally that would be me…but since Lord Thierry sent you, you have higher authority, and so they must mean _you_. Only I don't think they know that you're here and so—,"

"Oakley!" Thea said with just a hint of impatience coloring her voice. She had only been at the center for a grand total of seven hours, and already she was exhausted from the girl. "Focus, please. Who _are _the visitors, and do you know why they're here?"

"Well, actually they said they were here to investigate the abduction of one of our members-Phillip North."

"Wait—someone's been kidnapped?" Thea demanded.

"Well, yes. Yesterday, and—,"

"And you didn't think you should _mention _that to me?"

"Well, yes. But…yes. But…"

Thea sighed wearily and reminded herself that no good would come from becoming angry at Oakley. She was as goodhearted as a puppy, and certainly hadn't meant to withhold the information. "Don't worry about it Oakley. I'll handle it."

"Oh, thank God, Thea. You're a lifesaver." In one fluid movement the girl bounded up to her and hugged her. Thea didn't have the time to return it, and before she could say anything  
>Oakley was already around the corner and down the hall. Shaking her head with partial amusement, she headed for the lobby. For the umpteenth time that day, she wished Eric was by her side…but he had had to stay behind at the last Center, trying to help an outbreak of patients whom had survived throughout a particularly nasty shape-shifter attack, just a little north of her current center. It hurt to be away from him, especially now that she was finally allowed to <em>be <em>with him, but she concentrated on all the help he was giving, being there.

Still lost in thoughts about him, she opened the lobby door.

"Thea?"

Huh? Thea recognized that voice…it was…"Poppy!"

What in the world was she doing there? And with James, Quinn, Rashel, a girl she didn't know, oh, and Hannah? _Lady _Hannah? How in the world had she gotten Thierry to agree to let her out of his overly protective clutches?

"Thea! I didn't know you worked here!"

"I don't—Thierry has me touring all of them, just checking to make sure they're doing well. But, why are you here? I haven't seen you in months, in seems. When _was _the last time? Oh, right—Thierry's house in Vegas, right before we all met Hannah. But that _was _forever ago. How are you doing?"

She saw Poppy's face give a slight twitch, and then she made the mental connection. One Phillip North abducted, one Poppy North here to save him. "Oh Poppy…that must be hard."

Poppy gave a strangled nod, but then took a deep breath, as if trying to shoo away horrible thoughts. "It is, but I _am _going to save him, so it'll be alright."

"If there's anything I can do—say the word."

"Right…well, I _was _wondering if there's been any recent…disappearances. Besides Phil, of course. Someone who might have been working here, but abruptly quit?"

She caught her drift immediately. "I understand. We'll have to go talk to Oakley on that." She opened the door leading into the hallways and spotted the girl only a few doors down. She called her over and explained the situation, having to recapture her attention multiple times during her monologue. When she finally finished explaining, she was mentally exhausted.

"No." Oakley said simply.

"What?" She asked, forgetting where the conversation had left off.

"No—no one has quit or left. At least not recently…oh! Who are these people?" The rest of the group had followed Thea into the hall, looking at Oakley expectantly. Poppy jumped in.

"Hi! I'm Poppy North. Phil was my twin-brother, and these are some of my friends who agreed to come help me find him. We're not sure how powerfully guarded he is, or even _where _he is, so we decided to start here. This is James, my soulmate." Upon uttering that word, Thea saw Poppy break into a little bit of an involuntary smile. "That's Rashel and Quinn—they're soulmated, too. That's Hannah."

"Thierry's soulmate?" Oakley asked, eyes almost popping out of her head.

"Yep! And this is Maggie."

"Do you have a soulmate?" Oakley asked sweetly.

"Yes," she responded after a slight pause. "His name is Delos."

Again Oakley eye's shot up, in a really sort of comical way, actually. "Not the Delos—a wild power, right? Wow. I've never met a real wild power."

Rashel gave her a sort of condescending smile, almost as if she were indulging a small child. "Yes, but anyways Thea, did you find any information out?"

"I'm sorry to say no," Thea said—and she really was. She wished that she could help them, but there was nothing she could do…but still, the look on Poppy's face was enough to crush anyone's heart. She saw James stiffen at the sight of her wavering eyes and automatically crush Poppy closer to him.

"Oh. Well, if there's nothing, then…"

"Oh, wait!" Oakley chimed, her eyes straining as if just remembering something. "I actually do remember someone…his name was Ramen Hawkthorne—a shifter. He quit about two days ago, but I don't know if that would help…"

"We'll take it." Poppy said without hesitation. "Where does he live?"

"Er—15634 Sunset Boulevard, I think." She said, rattling off the numbers.

"Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! And thank you too, Thea! I hope we see you soon! Come on guys, the sooner we get there the better!" Poppy said, renewed determination filling her voice. A hope so heady it was tangible filled the air around the small clique. It made Thea excited too…it made her want to help them.

"Wait!" She called. "Poppy! Could I—can I come?"

She almost expected a 'no', but of course Poppy just raised her eyebrows happily and gestured for her to follow them. In front of the building was a large limo with tinted windows, and they all piled in together. James and Poppy sat in the front—James driving, with Maggie, Thea, Hannah, Rashel and Quinn all spread out rather roomily in the back. The whole drive Quinn and Rashel simply lounged half on—half off of each other, looking lost in a world of their own while Thea made small talk with Maggie and Hannah. The drive wasn't long, though, and they reached a rather shabby looking building shrouded in the dimming light of the evening just around seven or so.

Rashel knocked twice on the chipped door—there was no answer. She tried the knob—it was open.

"Something about this doesn't feel right," Thea said hesitantly. Her whole body thrummed with awareness, but maybe the darkness of the setting was just making her paranoid.

"I-I agree. But I have to go in. Here—all of you just stay out here and wait for a few minutes," Poppy started.

"You are completely and utterly insane if you think I'm going to let you go into that building _alone_. Here, you guys stay out here and _I'll _go in." James countered.

"Then what was the point of us coming in the first place, though?" Hannah and Rashel demanded in unison.

"Here—let the guys, go. You girls can keep watch and—,"

"Quinn…I might just kill you if you say another word."

"Look, we don't even know if it's dangerous, actually—,"

"But it looks dangerous! This is my brother, so I should be the only one to get hurt if—,"

"I'd be hurting me if you got hurt and—,"

"Guys!" Maggie finally shouted, causing all of them to jump. "We're all going in. I've made the final decision—it's safer that way."

Thea wasn't completely sure if it was safer that way, but she wouldn't speak her opinions—they were probably wrong, anyway. She just agreed with the rest of the group and reluctantly stepped into the dark house. They went from room to room, almost completely silent, flicking on lights and expecting closets…it took them a good half hour to search the house , and at the end of the search: nothing.

"Well, that didn't do much good." Poppy stated dejectedly, as they all stood rather glumly in the living room.

"Yes, but maybe he'll come back. He could just be gone at the moment," Thea tried to cheer her up, but was broken off by the ring of Poppy's cell phone.

"Hello?" She asked. "Wait who is—Sarah? Oh, hi. Is something wrong? You had a vision of _what_? But that's…that's impossible. Of course they are with us! They're right…" Poppy dropped the phone.

"Guys?" She asked, her voice concealing barely hidden panic. "Guys! Where are Hannah and Maggie? Where _are _they?"

Thea looked around, confused…they were nowhere in sight.

Okay! There you go! Hope you liked that chapter! Please R and R!


	4. The Sensation of Fear

Disclaimer: See previous chapter :)

"_Hello?" She asked. "Wait who is—Sarah? Oh, hi. Is something wrong? You had a vision of what? But that's…that's impossible. Of course they are with us! They're right…" Poppy dropped the phone._

"_Guys?" She asked, her voice concealing barely hidden panic. "Guys! Where are Hannah and Maggie? Where are they?" _

_Thea looked around, confused…they were nowhere in sight. _

Delos's Point of View:

Delos Redfern was casually putting down a human blood donor in the feeding room when the doors across from him burst open. Lord Thierry strode in—talking rapidly into a cell phone with a panicked look on his face. He scanned the room quickly, zeroing in on Delos.

"Delos!" He motioned him over with one hand while the other jabbed more numbers into the phone. Delos wasn't unduly concerned, at first. After all, Thierry often called for him, sometimes with news about his part in the upcoming apocalypse and other times with simple requests or messages. No, he wasn't very concerned…until he got another look at his face, that is. Because the panic wasn't just panic…it was outright dread. Which was strange, seeing as the extremely old vampire was hardly ever afraid of anything. Actually, Thierry was a bit like himself in that way. In fact, the only thing that could ever cause Delos to be afraid was if…he paused in the middle of his stride.

…was if Maggie was in trouble.

He broke out into a measurably faster pace, praying that whatever Thierry had to say was far away from his soulmate.

"Thierry? What happened? Is—is Maggie hurt?" He spoke his worst fear. "What's _happened_?"

One look at his eyes was enough to know. _Damn. It. All. _He should have never let her go with Poppy. Never. He hadn't wanted to...but she did. And no one, immortal vampire or not, could restrain Maggie with anything less than heavy metal bars—and he had seen firsthand how well that had worked. He should have gone with her, though…but Thierry hadn't let any of the Wild Powers go with her. They weren't allowed to do _anything_ unless they were absolutely needed.

"She and…and Hannah," Delos looked up to see a look of pure mental anguish on his face, and Delos once again prayed to whatever God existed that Maggie was still alive. "…they've been abducted. Most likely by whoever has taken Poppy's brother. Sarah had a vision of the two of them chained together...they weren't…weren't _dead_, but there were injuries."

He felt whatever mental sanity he had left disappear. A brief flashback of Maggie's friend from his once kingdom—Jeanne, he thought it was—came back to him. He flinched away from an image of the tic tac toe board that had been cut into her back along with the accompanying burned and charred X's and O's. Oh, dear _Lord_, he had to get to her…

"…and the worst part?" Lord Thierry gave a throaty chuckle that had absolutely no humor in it at all. "It's our fault that they've been taken. It's us they want. Not them…"

Delos blinked as he realized the truth of his words. It seemed like he was always getting Maggie in trouble…always because of him. It was _his _kingdom where she had been enslaved. _He _had foolishly locked her up in the prison. _His _admission to help the humans had nearly gotten both of them killed in the dungeon…and now this. If it was any consolation to him, the moment he found Maggie he was going to slowly kill each and every person, vampire, or dragon that had had even a hand in helping hurt her. At the moment he was sure that Thierry would help him, too. His anger suffocating him, he could only manage two words: "Let's go."

Thierry nodded. Apparently his rules about the Wild Powers not stepping a single inch from the building was going to be broken. Delos wasn't complaining.

"I already have Nilsson with a limo in the front, and I've called in a couple favors to help us, should we need it. They'll meet us a couple hours from here. Sarah managed to see a few letters stacked on a table in her vision, and the address was 17843 Oak Lane. It's only about a half hour from San Francisco."

Delos nodded tightly and they started toward the car. Once inside Thierry alternated between staring out the window, as if in some sort of trance, and making more urgent calls on his cell while Delos let himself imagine the way Maggie's tormentors would scream. He wasn't one to care for human brutality…no, Maggie had cured him of that. But he was perfectly fine with making Maggie's abductees pay. They weren't human in his eyes…nor were they vampires, shape-shifters, witches or whatever else they might be physically. Mentally, they were monsters.

The two hours it took to get to the meeting point with Thierry's 'favors' went by fairly quick, and by the time he was getting to the part where he met the mastermind behind the whole kidnapping, they were there. Nilsson stepped out to open the limo's door, and in came a piling of about five people. Some vaguely recognized and some he had never seen before. Once they had all stepped in Nilsson closed the door once more, and the limo rolled forward. There was a moment of tense silence of which Delos wasn't very much inclined to end. If Maggie had been there she would have immediately introduced the two of them…would have asked questions about the strangers…would have been completely and utterly engaged...she would have made their rescue mission an adventure. She would have renewed any fallen hopes, erased any doubts of victory, rallied the team together as a whole…he missed her already.

"Well, if nobody's going to introduce us, then I'll start!" A bright voice made him blink out of his laments and look up. A bubbly looking blonde with shining green eyes was grinning at him and Thierry. "I'm Jade and this is Mark. He's my soulmate. It's so nice to meet you Lord Thierry—and Delos, too. We're so glad to be helping, but it was really my cousin Ash—I think you've both met him at Circle Daybreak before—who told Thierry we could help. Mark's only human, but I've taught him some fighting tricks, and besides he wouldn't let me go alone."

He saw Jade flash a luminescent smile at her soulmate, and Delos's insides churned. This Mark—this completely defenseless _human_ Mark—wouldn't let his vampire counterpart brave a mission alone. Maggie was a human…Maggie had been defenseless when she had been captured…

"I'm Lupe Acevado." A brown haired girl spoke up. "Of course, you already know that Boss." She addressed Thierry and then turned back to Delos. "I'm a werewolf who's completely ready to help at all costs."

"Well," a slow, not quite vindictive, but not quite friendly voice drawled. "I'm not sure about the 'all costs' part, but I'll help within reason."

Delos raised an eyebrow at her, not quite liking the beautiful—cascading dark hair down to her waist and curves galore—but insolent woman. "And you are?"

"Blaise. Blaise Harman."

"Well Blaise Harman," he mocked her. "If you aren't committed to helping us, then why did you come?"

"I wouldn't have," she shot back. "But unfortunately my cousin—sympathetic beyond reason—wanted me to. It seems she got herself caught in with the little group that went exploring in dangerous waters, and begged me to help out you two. So I did. End of story."

Delos found himself wanting to say something not quite nice to her, so instead he turned to the last of their little group. He had auburn colored hair and brown eyes…he looked startlingly familiar, and it only took Delos a second to place him.

"Miles Neely, nice to see you again."

Okay! There you go, another chapter! Anyways, thank you for all the wonderful reviews I've gotten! Each one makes me smile in a new way! So thank you! And as always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts/opinions/comments!


	5. Reunions aren't just for High School

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Nothing! Nothing at all!

"_Well Blaise Harman," he mocked her. "If you aren't committed to helping us, then why did you come?" _

"_I wouldn't have," she shot back. "But unfortunately my cousin—sympathetic beyond reason—wanted me to. It seems she got herself caught in with the little group that went exploring in dangerous waters, and begged me to help out you two. So I did. End of story." _

_Delos found himself wanting to say something not quite nice to her, so instead he turned to the last of their little group. He had auburn colored hair and brown eyes…he looked startlingly familiar, and it only took Delos a second to place him. _

"_Miles Neely, nice to see you again." _

Jez's Point of View

Jez Redfern paced up and down her room, her body full of pent up energy that she longed to ward away, preferably with either a motorcycle or a good long fight…

"Morgead!" She called out at the top of her lungs, her voice turning a little shrill towards the end. His room was right next to hers, and the walls weren't completely sound proof. It took him exactly 2.7 seconds to come—his eyes were wide with concern and his shirt looked crumpled and crooked. It almost made Jez want to kiss him instead of fight him, but then there was time for that later.

"What's the matter? You're not hurt…" he said, looking confused, and then comprehension dawned. "Aww, not again. What do you want this time?"

"Nothing much," she said innocently. "Let's fight."

"What, now?"

"Yes, now." She insisted; they hadn't had a serious fight in what seemed like forever, and she missed that. As much as she hated to admit it, Morgead was good. Really good. It took concentration and power to beat him, something that couldn't be said for most vampires that went up against her.

"But Jez," Morgead complained slowly. "It's four o clock in the _morning_. I was actually kind of doing something at the moment—it's called sleeping. You should try it sometime."

She scowled and didn't even justify his whining with a reply. Instead, she threw him his favorite fighting stick from her customized wall and took one down for herself. And then she rushed him. Morgead was expecting it, of course, and swiftly blocked her attack. And then they were off.

It was like some great, complicated dance, with Jez turning and twirling, ducking and weaving, and spinning and sliding while Morgead expertly countered every move she made. Jez took one out of body moment to just admire the look and feel of it, which was, of course, a mistake. The one ounce less of concentration was enough for Morgead to smoothly counter her attack and knock the wooden stick out of her hand while almost simultaneously coming back up with his stick to whap her on the arm. _Hard_. Little red dots swarmed her vision, and she had to grit her teeth to stop from crying out with the pain.

"Jez—," she looked up to see Morgead's shimmering green eyes projecting concern.

She cut him off with a fiery look that said, _'Don't you dare.' _

He let out a sigh but the look vanished the next second and he brandished the stick at her, trying to trap her into the corner behind her. She let him think that she was trying—and failing—to calculate a way out and gave him a look of guarded frustration. And then, when he was close enough, she kicked up—jamming her left foot into his stick, which pounded straight into his stomach. He stumbled backwards slightly and she took the opportunity to slide in-between his legs and retrieve her stick. Then, in a spark of inspiration, she decided to break the norm and jumped on his back with her stick. She banged him on the head a couple times until he staggered and fell to the floor, and she had just raised her stick to give him the winning bang when her door flew open.

"Oh," the mousy brown haired girl Jez had come to know as Sarah Strange stood, slightly shocked, at the doorway. "Oh, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to interrupt."

Jez felt her cheeks color and she quickly scrambled off of Morgead. "Oh, no. It's fine. Is there something wrong?"

"I—I don't know. But I was asleep just now…and I had the strangest dream. I saw Hannah and Maggie again…and in the same room I also saw a man. He didn't look like you exactly…but he had the same sort of, oh I don't know, feel about him. He was older than you by a lot, though. You don't happen to have a dad or an uncle do you?

"Uncle Bracken?" She heard herself ask, confused.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't know."

"Uncle Bracken's been kidnapped?" The words felt strange to her, but what was even stranger were the words Sarah said back.

"Again…I don't know. But, well, it didn't exactly seem like he was there…involuntarily. Of course, that doesn't mean anything." Sarah hastened to assure her as she saw the look in Jez's eyes. "But all I know is what I saw, and I just wanted to tell you just in case you needed to know."

With much effort she managed to control her voice so that it didn't so much as shake when she replied with a tense, "Thank you, Sarah. I'll see to the matter immediately."

The girl retreated and the door banged shut. Jez went to her nightstand—fight forgotten—and began piling necessities, like a silver knife, a wooden knife, and a regular old knife just for fun, into a bag.

"What are you doing?" Morgead came over to her.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Okay fine, let's just ignore what Thierry said about not leaving the center…"

She rolled her eyes, impatiently. "You're not the one being forced inside here."

"Well, then that's probably because I'm not the one with the all-consuming powers."

"No, you only act like you are."

She finished packing and headed toward her door before placing one hand on her hip and half turning back to Morgead. "Now, are you in?"

He sighed and muttered something under his breath that sounded strangely like an insult, but reluctantly nodded and followed her out.

Jez clapped.

"Good."

Halfway to the door Morgead noticed an obvious problem. "Jez—how are we going to get from here all the way to San Francisco on foot?"

Jez didn't even take the time to pause. Instead, she shook out her long, fiery red hair and unpocketed a silver cell phone.

"I don't know about you," she said. "But I think it's about time for a little gang reunion."

There you go, the first of Jez's chapters. Personally, Jez and Morgead are one of my favorite couples in the Night World series. What's yours? Tell me in the comments, or just leave your opinions about the story, thoughts, and etc. Thank you, as always, for reading!


	6. Decisions

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. :)

_Halfway to the door Morgead noticed an obvious problem. "Jez—how are we going to get from here all the way to San Francisco on foot?" _

_Jez didn't even take the time to pause. Instead, she shook out her long, fiery red hair and unpocketed a silver cell phone. _

"_I don't know about you," she said. "But I think it's about time for a little gang reunion." _

Maggie's Point of View:

"Do you think they're coming?"

Maggie Neely cast a look at Hannah and gave her a grim smile. "Of course they're coming. They're probably on their way right now."

They both gave a grim sigh…because, truthfully, they didn't _want _them to come. Sure Maggie was hurting both physically and mentally, but she knew how to be strong, and Hannah wasn't in hysterics yet, either. But if Delos came to get her, then the enemies got what they wanted. Why else would they have captured the two? Maggie thought back to the initial scene…it had all happened so fast.

_She had been searching near the master bed room, a few feet away from a sliding balcony exit. A small noise from the closet had startled her. She walked over hesitantly, wondering if she should call for the others…but then she was probably just paranoid. She placed a hand on the knob and turned…and let out a breath that she hadn't known she had been holding. There was nothing there…and that's when the hands grabbed her from behind. One snaked around her waist and the other pressed down on her mouth—she couldn't make a sound. They were out the sliding door before she got over the initial surprise, and it wasn't until they were halfway to the tinted SUV that she began trying to claw her way out of her attacker's grip. She wasn't a half bad fighter, actually—she had gotten Jez and Rashel to give her a few pointers, but her captor had the element of surprise _and _backup. She hadn't stood a chance, and had gotten multiple bruises, cuts, and scratches for her effort. _

"Do you think Poppy's brother is nearby?" Hannah's voice brought her out of the brief reverie.

"I think he must be." She replied. "Any luck with those ropes?"

"Besides getting a nasty case of rope burn?"

"Same," Maggie gave a sigh. She a very nasty feeling that was growing inside of her—a feeling that said if Delos managed to find her, things weren't going to be pretty.

_Bang. Bang. Bang. _

The door opened, and in came an auburn headed, green eyed man carrying a couple bottles of water. Maggie thought he looked somewhat familiar, but couldn't quite place him.

"H-here, I've b-been ordered to bring you some w-water." He stuttered, looking uncomfortable and awkward. He untwisted the cap on each of them and poured some of the liquid gold into their mouths. It was good, but she'd tasted better…like the day she had arrived in Delos's kingdom for the first time. The water he had shown her had been pure bliss. Hannah wasn't gulping the stuff down, either, but then she had probably been through a good deal of drought in the umpteenth lives that she had been through.

"Will y-you two be needing any-anything else?"

"A nicely sharpened stake and a way out of here would be nice."

Maggie had to give credit to the guy—he didn't snarl out a threat or hit her. In fact, she thought she saw something like regret as he quickly hurried out the door, but she couldn't be sure.

"He didn't look familiar to you, did he?" Hannah asked quietly, thoughtfully.

"Yes, actually, he did."

"Hmm…that's what I thought. Because his eyes reminded me so much of—,"

_Bang. Bang. Bang. _

The door once again opened up, and Maggie briefly wondered why the people over here bothered knocking if they weren't going to bother waiting for a reply, but the thought faded as a very defiant looking Phillip North was shoved into their room, his hands tied behind him in roughly the same style as theirs. With him marched a twenty or so man—well, dragon actually, Maggie amended as she counted four little poky horns sprouting from his head.

"Have a seat Phillip," the dragon half asked half commanded in the most velvety, charismatic voice Maggie had ever heard. For one hazy, confused second her brain told her that she could relax now—that there was nothing to fear. That this man was a genuinely nice person, a person who Maggie could be friends with, and tell all her deepest secrets to…and then she stole her mind back. She was utterly furious and ashamed that she had let herself—for even that teeny, tiny second—fall for the melodic tone to his voice. She vowed that it wouldn't happen again.

"Your voice…" from beside her Hannah let out a contented sigh. "It's so beautiful."

Maggie, with no other choice, leaned back in her chair and then head butted Hannah as hard as she could. The momentum from her shaking caused both of their chairs to topple over, landing Maggie with another biting bruise on the back of her head. That, however, was the least of her troubles as the dragon man quickly strode over to her and forced her back up by the roots of her hair. Once up, he looked her straight in the eye and slapped her. Her eyes closed as unshed tears welled up behind her lids; she let out a strangled yelp, but did not scream. She heard Hannah mutter a grateful, but ashamed, "Thanks," as the dragon yanked her up as well.

Maggie felt her body automatically tense for whatever was to come while Phil reluctantly sat down next to her.

"Now," said the dragon. The allure to his voice was still powerful, but Maggie had only to remember the way his flesh bit at her cheek before she was back to herself. "I'd say it's about time for some group sessions. I've already spoken to Philipp here, but he seems reluctant to tell me anything."

"I've told you before," Phil said impatiently. "It's hard to be 'reluctant to tell' you anything if I don't know anything in the first place."

Apparently they had been through the argument before, because the dragon man didn't even flinch at the words, instead coming over and resting a hand on her head. She resisted the urge to shiver.

"Now Maggie…you love Delos, right?"

Maggie, surprised at the direction his questioning had taken, told the honest truth. "Of course."

"And Hannah—such a lovely young thing. Young in appearance anyways…I am _so _glad that you and Thierry have managed to work things out in this life. You must be very glad, no?"

A bit more wary than Maggie had been, Hannah nodded.

"And I don't even have to ask how much you love your sister, do I?"

"No." Phil's voice was deep with emotion and wavered a little at the end, but his face was stony and set.

"Well then…I think we can afford to make a deal, can't we?" He paused, savoring the guarded expressions on the trio's faces. "But before I tell you my idea, I would like for you to listen to me. Now, I know for a fact that at this very moment all three of your precious loved ones are travelling as fast as their fancy little limos can take them, trying to get to our hideout. Now, if your special little physic hasn't already 'foretold' where we have you holed up, then they will most definitely find the little 'hidden' hints my men have scattered around town. Either way they will soon be arriving…and if they do, they will die. Wildpower or not. Lord or no. Feisty little vampire...doesn't matter. They set one foot into this building, and they will cease to exist. I've had my men sharpen three pretty little stakes just for the job…you three can watch if you wish."

Maggie clenched her teeth, too horrified to speak. Luckily, Phil did the job for her. "We get it. They get here, it's a problem…now would it trouble you too much to get to the point?

The dragon chuckled. "Phillip…your incessant straight forwardness is somewhat endearing to me. It will be a pity if I am forced to kill you. But, I will, as you advice me—'get to the point'. I am willing to let all three of you go. You will be free to leave the building, and I can give my word that none of my associates will so much as touch a single hair on your heads. You will be allowed to meet your frantic search party at the door and can be ensured that no one will get hurt."

Maggie paused, taking it all in. "I see. So what do you get in return?"

"Nothing much, nothing much at all, my dear—all I require from you, from anyone of you, is the location of your hideout."

Maggie inhaled, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment. He was offering them an incredible deal…an incredibly selfish deal, to be sure…but an incredible deal all the same. She didn't know what to think.

"But that will mean other people will get hurt…maybe even Thierry and the rest of them, just at a later time." Hannah said, her voice sounding sad and just a tad bit haunting.

"That's true." He replied cheerfully. "But if you turn my offer down now, there will be absolutely no hope at all. And either way we _will _find your hideaway…it might take a week. A month. A month and a half. But we will find it. Now, please…may I have your answer? And hurry now, because if they get here first, then I'm afraid I'll have to resign my generous deal. And that, my dears, wouldn't be good…for any of you."

Okay! Now, let me just take a moment here to thank you all for the wonderful reviews I've been getting. They truly make my day! Really! Sincerely! And so, as always, please leave your comments, opinions, thoughts, and ideas!


	7. Chaos

Disclaimer: Yes. I mean no. Wait…oh, whatever. I don't own anything.

"_But that will mean other people will get hurt…maybe even Thierry and the rest of them, just at a later time." Hannah said, her voice sounding sad and just a tad bit haunting. _

"_That's true." He replied cheerfully. "But if you turn my offer down now, there will be absolutely no hope at all. And either way we will find your hideaway…it might take a week. A month. A month and a half. But we will find it. Now, please…may I have your answer? And hurry now, because if they get here first, then I'm afraid I'll have to resign my generous deal. And that, my dears, wouldn't be good…for any of you." _

Rashel's Point of View (_Starting Four Hours in the Past, right as Thierry made one of his phone calls)_:

Rashel Jordan watched as Thea slowly flipped her phone shut and turned back toward the group. She felt Quinn give her hand a gentle squeeze and she tossed a slightly dimmed smile at him—he always knew when she was getting herself anxious…but this time she had just cause to be. Last time Poppy had gotten a phone call Maggie and Hannah had gone missing. What disaster had struck this time?

"It was Thierry." Thea said, and almost immediately Rashel relaxed. Thea's voice was not panicked nor worried like Poppy's had been the last time; instead her tone sounded downright positive. "He and Delos heard what happened—of course—and are on their way. He called me asking if I'd be willing to help, but of course I said I _was _helping—only with you guys. But I told him to call my cousin Blaise, and tell her that I owed her big time if she was willing to help. Oh, and get this—they have an address, this time. A real address."

The remaining 5 of them were sitting in a local restaurant booth, fueling up on hamburgers and French fries—except, of course, Poppy and Quinn—while they discussed their plans. Across from Rashel, Poppy smiled exuberantly and poked James. "That's fantastic! Did you hear that Jamie? Everything's going to be all right!"

Rashel noted that James didn't look quite as confident as his counterpart, but he cleared any doubts he might have had from his face and pulled her close. Seeing them, looking all comfy and clearly in love, made Rashel yearn for Quinn. She leaned toward him, and sensing what she wanted, put his arms around her. An almost overwhelming sense of Quinn flooded through her; she turned her face slightly up towards him…waiting…and then the sound of frantic ringing filled their secluded booth. She could have killed Thea as she took her phone from her pocket. "It's probably Thierry calling again," she said apologetically, seeing the disappointed look on Rashel's face.

"Hello?" Thea flipped open the phone. "Eric? What? Wait—I can't hear you! What's going on? What's happening?" She paused. "Oh God. Okay—I'll be there as fast as I can. Be safe, please. Yes, I know. I love you, too. Bye."

"What happened?" Rashel asked, even as Thea shrugged on her jacket and grabbed her bag. She barely glanced at her before answering hurriedly.

"It's Eric. The Daybreak center he's at is under attack. I have to go to him." She said her voice thick with emotion. She turned toward Poppy. "I'm so sorry, Poppy. I know I said I'd help you, but—,"

"No, don't worry about it." Poppy hastened to assure her. "I understand. He's your soulmate. You have to go. In fact, I feel bad that you're going alone…" she trailed off.

"It's no problem. I really hope Phil is okay. I'll see you guys later. Okay?"

It took exactly four seconds for Thea to reach the diner's door.

In those four seconds Rashel shared a grim understanding with Quinn, but before she could turn to Poppy and James, Poppy was already speaking.

"Rashel, Quinn…you know how much it means to me that you guys would come and try to help Phil and myself…but right now, with Thierry bringing backup, I think the best place for you both to be is, well, with Thea. Helping her. That is, if you're willing to go. I know it will be dangerous, but you two are some of our most spectacular fighters, and—"

Rashel smiled sincerely at her—in that moment she felt a swell of respect wash over her for Poppy. Not only was the little girl fiercely loyal and protective of those she considered friends, but she was also generous and selfless. "No, we'll go. You and James go find Phillip and the rest of our group, and we'll meet again soon." And then in an unexpected impulse, she reached out and hugged her before grabbing Quinn's hand and rushing after Thea.

"Wait! Thea! We're coming with you! We can help."

Rashel saw Thea's shoulders almost droop with relief as she paused a few feet away from the door. "Are you sure? It will be dangerous."

Quinn gave a dark chuckle. "We're facing the next apocalypse, here. Everything is dangerous."

"Oh, well, that's true. Then I'd really appreciate the help. My car's still parked by the center, but it's only about two blocks from here."

Rashel nodded. Two blocks was nothing for her, and even less for Quinn. The two blocks she ran just served as a nice little stretch for her legs, and from there they were in the car. It took another short half hour to reach the next closest center, and almost immediately Rashel was on guard. The place was in chaos. Screams flooded from the building, and large snarls and explosions came from within. She saw three police cars lined up—upside down—outside the building. She forced herself to turn away though when she saw the blood oozing slowly down onto the street.

"Oh God," Thea whimpered. And Rashel felt for her. She couldn't imagine how scared she must feel, her soulmate in the midst of battle _without _her—and a defenseless, animal loving human at that. She had gotten to know both Thea and Eric fairly well at Thierry's house when they had been discussing the upcoming apocalypse, and he had been one of the most kind, gentle hearted people Rashel had ever known. If there was one thing he wasn't, it was a fighter.

"Let's go." Quinn said, opening the car door and running towards the building. They slipped in through a first story window, and were immediately thrust into battle. The window had led to one of bedrooms, and Rashel was surprised to see a familiar face: Gillian Lenox, a lost witch with a human soulmate named David; she, too, had been at Thierry's house with the rest of them. At the current moment she was trying—and failing—to protect a little human girl from no less than three vampires. They had gotten there just in time. The vampires noticed the newcomers just as she and Quinn lunged. On the run toward the window she had quickly flipped her silver coated wooden knife from her boot. She flung the silver off as she jumped and drove the newly polished wooden dagger into the heart of the vampire that was attempting to grab Gillian by the neck. Two feet left of her Quinn was busy taking down his own vampire, and was finished one fourth of a second after her. They both took down the third one, Quinn grabbing it steadily by its shoulders, and Rashel staking it, easily. Thea, Gillian, and the girl watched with amazement.

Finally, the girl spoke. "Wow. You guys are good at that."

Somehow that made everyone laugh; Gillian turned toward her. "That's completely right, Iona. They _are _good at that." She surveyed the group in near wonderment. "Thank God you guys came! It's so nice to see you! Iona, these are a few of my friends: Rashel, Quinn, and Thea. Guys, this is Iona. She's one of the oldest old souls left, and I'd tell you more about her, but I don't think we really have the time at the moment."

Rashel agreed. "Let's go. Here, I've got front and Quinn will cover back. Thea and Gillian, you guys will take the middle." She shared a brief look with Quinn before making a quick decision. "And Iona, you'll be in the very center, too. I think you'll be safer with us."

Iona nodded, her wide eyes silently agreeing with her. Rashel grabbed her silver sheath from the ground and capped it on her knife once more before heading out the door. Almost instantly a werewolf was on her—pushing her down onto the ground with razor sharp claws and pinning the hand with her knife in it. Before she could kick out at him his head snapped at her neck…only to fall limply, huge teeth an inch away from her flesh. A large silver knife stuck out from its skull. Quinn pulled it out with a quick _slick_ before offering her a hand. She nodded at him, took a calming breath, and continued down the hallway. She turned the corner without anyone attacking _her_, but down the hallway she could see a large fight going on, with at least four bodies lying, bloodied, on the floor. From behind her, she heard a quick inhale and then someone lunged in front of her.

Thea screamed. "Eric!"

I'm so sorry to leave you with that cliffhanger, please don't hate me! Anyways, moving onto something a slight bit happier: thank you for all the awesome reviews I've been getting! I really love reading them! Like a lot! And as always I look forward to reading your opinions, thoughts, and comments!

Oh, and to xXxhurting-insidexXx—don't worry, Ash and Mary-Lynette will come in soon—just maybe not in the way people will expect it!


	8. Surprises

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything! **

**Note: Hi, guys. I am SO sorry for not updating in…gee, I don't even know how long. Has it been a year, yet? More? Anyways, I'm sorry for that. And I promise that I won't just leave like that again, not without finishing this thing off, one way or another! So, hopefully from here I'll be updating regularly again! Thank you for your understanding! **

_Rashel agreed. "Let's go. Here, I've got front and Quinn will cover back. Thea and Gillian, you guys will take the middle." She shared a brief look with Quinn before making a quick decision. "And Iona, you'll be in the very center, too. I think you'll be safer with us."_

_Iona nodded, her wide eyes silently agreeing with her. Rashel grabbed her silver sheath from the ground and capped it on her knife once more before heading out the door. Almost instantly a werewolf was on her—pushing her down onto the ground with razor sharp claws and pinning the hand with her knife in it. Before she could kick out at him his head snapped at her neck…only to fall limply, huge teeth an inch away from her flesh. A large silver knife stuck out from its skull. Quinn pulled it out with a quick __slick__ before offering her a hand. She nodded at him, took a calming breath, and continued down the hallway. She turned the corner without anyone attacking __her__, but down the hallway she could see a large fight going on, with at least four bodies lying, bloodied, on the floor. From behind her, she heard a quick inhale and then someone lunged in front of her._

_Thea screamed. "Eric!"_

**Quinn POV **

Thea's scream pierced through the scene of the battle, louder than any of the anguished cries surrounding them. It was a scream that could only be described as pure agony.

Quinn didn't have to be told what had happened. He didn't have to see. Eric was obviously one of the bodies on the ground, and he didn't have a way to take care of that…however, he could take care of the guys that were still alive.

Rashel seemed to have the same idea, and together they overtook Thea, plunging headfirst into the battle. He shared a glance with Rashel, and nodded—back to back maneuver, spinning technique.

His first opponent was the hardest. Only a werewolf, but an experienced one. He was quick to dodge blows, and his claws were sharp. However, he had been, from the looks of things, fighting for a while, and already had numerous wounds. Quinn, on the other hand, was sharp and ready to go. It wasn't long before he had a chance to burrow his silver coated knife into the creature's heart.

He pulled it right out again with a satisfying _slick_!

And from there on, it was plain music. With Rashel next to him, he could do anything, and they fought through the crowd with a speed and fury that even he didn't think was possible. The last man was down before he had a chance to sweat.

For a moment, he allowed himself to grin. He turned around, and met Rashel's eyes—there was an intense glow to them, a mixture of excitement and excersize that made her even more beautiful than normal. He squeezed her hand, sharing his feelings with her. She grinned. He leaned forward…and then Thea let out a sob.

He remembered where they were, and what had just happened, and immediantly sobered up. Thea was bent over a bruised and bloodied body, her golden hair hiding the man's face.

"Eric—Eric…please. Answer me, Eric!" She sobbed, incoherently. "Please. I love you. Don't leave—please…"

Thea's head rose, and she turned toward Quinn, desperately. "Please…we have to help him. I don't know what to do. But we have to! I can't live without him. What can we do?"

Quinn frowned; he could almost feel her pain, but if her soulmate was already dead, then he didn't think there was much he could do. From beside him, Rashel grimanced as well, as did the two or three other survivors.

"Well…" a voice said, and for a moment, everyone froze.

Thea turned back, unbelieveing, toward Eric, who was pushing at the floor, trying to raise himself into a sitting position.

"If that's the way you react to me a-almost dying…I should d-do it more often."

"Eric!" Thea gasped, and tackled the boy with a hug.

Eric winced, and Thea backed up, cautiously.

"I thought you were dead." She said, plainly, her face still holding the aftermath of what had just—almost—happened. Quinn instinctively reached for Rashel's hand, just to make sure that his own soulmate was still there. He often felt nervous and jittery when he wasn't touching her, or at least looking at her, like somehow she would just dissapear, and he would have no way to find her—just like the first time they had met. But she squeezed his hand back, and he could feel the silver cord connecting them, and everything was alright. He relaxed.

"So did I." Eric was saying. "A shapeshifter clawed me up, pretty badly, and I passed out for a while there. I only just regained conciousness. It's the strangest thing. I swear I saw the light…I was almost to Heaven…but then I woke up and it turns out the Angel was on earth, right next to me."

Thea broke out into tears, smiling as she sobbed.

"I can't believe you." She accused, half heartedly. "You promised nothing would happen."

"I'm sorry." He said simply, and their reunion reminded Quinn of something else.

"We should tour the center, and then get back to Poppy," he told Rashel.

She nodded.

"Thea, will you be able to get Eric back to the other daybreak center, alone? They can take care of his wounds there." Rashel said. "Iona can come with you, as well with any of the people here who can't fight, or don't want to fight."

She turned toward the survivors.

There was two men and one woman, besides Gillian, who opted to go back with Thea, as her soulmate was still at the other Daybreak center.

One of the men and the woman both had on Circle Daybreak uniforms, and although the woman offered to stay, Quinn could tell that neither had any fighting expereince.

The second man, on the other hand, was wearing regular clothes, and although he wasn't highly muscled, he didn't seem to be incompetent, either.

"I'll stay." He offered. He looked Quinn in the eyes; they were wise, solemn eyes—eyes that seemed much older than their body's age.

"Alright." He agreed. "You're on the team."

He turned back to Thea. "When you get back to the other center, send help. We'll try to round up any of the other survivors, and we'll have them wait near the entrance, okay?"

Thea nodded. "Of course. Can you stand, Eric?"

"I can try." He replied. Quinn watched as, leaning on his soulmate, Eric stood up. His face went as pale as a sheet of paper, but by the time Thea glanced up at him, he had managed to put a smile on his face.

"Come on, guys. My car's parked out front." Thea said gently, and the group of five went hobbling off in the general direction of the front door.

"Now that that's taken care of," Rashel said, a musing quality to her voice. "Let's go. Try not to get killed, okay?" The last sentence was directed to the new guy.

"Can't make any guarantees." He laughed, but followed them—after plucking up a fallen knife—silver—from the floor.

"You're not a vampire, are you?" Quinn asked suddenly, studying him as they turned the corner.

The teen shook his head, and gave up a reluctant smile. "No. Old Soul, actually. My name's Hugh Davis. I've been working for Circle Daybreak for a few years now."

"Nice to meet you." He nodded. "Quinn. This is Rashel—my soulmate."

"You said Quinn and Rashel?" Hugh asked, squinting his eyes at them, as if he was trying to remember something in the back of his mind. "Oh! You didn't happen to be protecting someone, a month or two ago, did you?"

Rashel gave a small snort. "Actually, we've been protecting a lot of people. But any one in particular you're asking about?"

"Yeah. My friend's uncle, and—and a few friends. The Uncle was a vampire. His name was Mr. Brackken. And Claire was one of the human…friends."

Quinn shared a quick look with Rashel, whose eyebrows were raised.

"Well, nobody fits that description," she said after a moment. "Unless those human 'friends' were actually family. Don't worry—we already know Jez is a halfie. You don't have to protect her identity or anything. We're on your side, you know."

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, it's a habit. There's been some…misunderstandings with her heritage, you know?"

Quinn opened his mouth to respond, but just as he did, the group rounded the corner—and stopped flat in their tracks.

Collapsed in the middle of the hallway was a brownheaded girl, sobbing wildly, and wiping her eyes on the sleeves of her sporty tee-shirt.

Quinn was silent with confusion for a moment, and then both he and Rashel spoke at the same time.

"Mary Lynn!"

So there you go!

First chapter in a LONG, LONG time!

Hope you enjoyed it!

As always, R & R!

Thank you, hopefully will update soon!


	9. It's a Plan

Disclaimer: Nothing is what I own. Nothing!

_Quinn opened his mouth to respond, but just as he did, the group rounded the corner—and stopped flat in their tracks. _

_Collapsed in the middle of the hallway was a brownheaded girl, sobbing wildly, and wiping her eyes on the sleeves of her sporty tee-shirt. _

_Quinn was silent with confusion for a moment, and then both he and Rashel spoke at the same time. _

"_Mary Lynnette!" _

**James POV: **

"Okay, Thierry. Of course. We're on our way. Yes. Yes. Alright. Don't worry—she'll be fine. Hannah's a fighter. Okay, take care. We'll be there in a few minutes."

James waited for the other line to go dead, and then he flipped his own cell phone shut. He and Poppy were on their way to meet up with Theirry, Delos, and a few other people willing to help out. As he ajusted his mirror and pressed the gas pedal down harder, he noticed the distinct lack of people in the back—their little expedition had lost an abundance of people in a matter of hours. And although he wouldn't say it aloud, he was worried that Poppy was going to be the next one gone.

Just to remind himself, he snuck a quick look over at her. She was perfectly fine, if a little tired looking. Her small, pale head was tilted to the side, and her cascade of tiny curls sheletered her delicate face. As she adjusted her self, she saw him watching her.

"What's the matter?" She asked, raising her auburn colored eyebrows at him, half confused-half playful.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just glad that you're here."

"Where else would I rather be?" She countered.

"You mean you like being cramped up into the front seat of a limo?"

"Actually, I'm not cramped at all. And neither are you." She pointed out. "We _are _in a limo…but I really meant that I was glad to be with _you_."

Oh. He could never help the smile that rose to his face, whenever she said things like that. It had only been a few months since he had transformed her, but now, he couldn't even imagine how he had gotten through the countless years he had spent being 'just friends' with her. Poppy had always, in some part of his heart, been so much more than that.

"Well, this looks like the place." Poppy said, and it took him a minute to realize that they had reached Thierry's meeting place.

"Oh." He said. "Right."

He swung into the driveway of the medium sized house, parking next to a near identical car. Thierry had at least a couple dozen different safe houses all over the world, and it just so happened that there was one located only a few miles from the adress Sarah Strange had seen in one of her complicated, slightly weird visions . He and Poppy were meeting up with the others at the house, going over the plan, and then heading out…heading out to a dangerous place where it was possible that someone—in fact, many someones—could get hurt.

He looked at Poppy again, this time with dread behind his steel hard eyes. It was funny how nothing scares you until you having something to lose, he thought, as Poppy reached up and tapped the intercom buton.

"Hello?" A slightly femine voice that sounded familiar—maybe Lupe?—came sailing out.

"It's James and Poppy," she said.

"Of course. I'll be right there."

A moment later, the door opened and his guess was proved right—the tough, scrappy, half-werewolf herself stood at the door.

"Good to see you both again," she greeted. "Come right in. We're all in the kitchen, planning."

He nodded, and, taking Poppy's hand, stepped into the safehouse. Outside, the house was plain and unassumming, but inside it was as opulent as any one of Thierry's other mansions, with gold plated mirrors, expensive paintings, and luxurious furniture dotting all over the place.

"Oh, hi James! And, Poppy, too!" A bright, cheerful voice made him look up.

He recognized one of his distant cousins—Jade—that he had only met once or twice before. Next to her was a boy that he didn't think he had ever seen, but he waved to the two of them anyways.

"Hi." The boy next to Jade said cheerfully. "My name's Mark. I'm Jade's soulmate, and—I don't know if you know her—but a girl named Mary Lynnette's sister."

James raised his eyebrows. Although he had never met Mary Lynnette, he had heard of her often from the lips of his cousin, Ash. She had totally transformed his resentful, aggrivating cousin into something that almost resembled a decent person; for that, he owed her big time.

"Hi, Mark." He waved. "I'm James, and this is my soulmate, Poppy. And by the way, any relation to Mary Lynnette is in a good book with me; Ash needed someone to tame him, just a bit."

"I think Mary Lynette's taming him more than just a bit," Mark laughed. "But nice to meet you too."

"If we're done with all the small talk, then can we please get started?" Someone demanded, walking into the kitchen from the side door.

It was Delos, but in a way that James had never seen him before. His face was heavy with regret and fear, and his eyes were shaded with menance. James didn't blame him, though…what must it feel like to lose the only person that mattered?

"Of course." Poppy said, and James suspected that they were both on the same page. "What's the plan?"

They all gathered around the counter. Him, Poppy, Jade, and a whole other gaggle of people. He recognized most of them, including the dark haired beauty in the corner, another distant cousin, and one that had—somewhat reluctantly—given him the information that Ash had taken Poppy to Thierry's Summer Solstice Party, so long ago. It was strange to think about how things changed. Back then, if Theirry had met Poppy, would he really have ordered her executed? Or, even then, without Hannah, was he akin to breaking the Night World laws?

"The plan," Delos began in a hard voice. "Is to infiltrate the house in which Maggie—and the others—are being held in, bust them out, and then let me blast everyone else inside to Hell and back with a dose of my power."

"Wait, wait, wait." Lupe protested. "You can't use your power. Right, Thierry?"

Lord Thierry joined the group, Nelson right after him. Lupe looked up at him for a quick answer, but he remained quiet, indesicive. James sympathized. It was a tough desiciscion—do you do what's right and risk something more important than life itself? Or do you ignore the rules and find your own salvation?

"Boss!" Lupe protested, after a strong stretch of silence. "It's not supposed to be called out into the absolute moment when he needs it."

"And I need it now." Delos said.

"No, I agree with Lupe." A tallish, very Maggie-ish looking guy spoke up. "You already said that we'll have to use stealth to get them out anyways—,"

"Well, I can't very well blast the house to pieces while they're in it, can I?"

"—so whether we save them has nothing to do with the blue power. That means, you don't have to use it."

"Yes," Delos started in a cool, deathly iced voice. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to use it."

"Well, tough." The guy said, with a shrug. "There are other ways to kill a creature than with magic voodoo alone. We'll have to rely on that."

Delos stood up straighter, and James automatically pulled Poppy back just a little further. He had seen Delos get into his moods before, and they weren't usually pretty; usually Maggie was the only one who could comfort him. Now, with her gone, James didn't want to guess the outcome of this argument. However, he was surprised.

Delos had stepped closer to the guy, and looked just about ready to use the bluepower right there, in the kitchen….but then he fell back, his face drooping. There was a moment of confused silence.

"You remind me of her." Delos admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Maggie. You both have that same spark. Fine, then. We'll do it your way. But it doesn't matter if I use the bluepower or not; either way, the people who took her are going to die."

"Well, and I'll help you with that."

Delos contemplated this for a moment, and then nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Thank you for reading!

Please review, comment, question me! Send in your ideas!

And I hope to update soon! Final battle is fast approaching! Thank you for reviewing!


	10. Three's company

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing. So sad. **

"_You remind me of her." Delos admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Maggie. You both have that same spark. Fine, then. We'll do it your way. But it doesn't matter if I use the bluepower or not; either way, the people who took her are going to die." _

"_Well, and I'll help you with that." _

_Delos contemplated this for a moment, and then nodded. "Sounds like a plan." _

**Keller's POV: **

Keller paced back and forth across the main hallway, wishing for something to do. She didn't know if restlessness could hurt, but if it could, then her whole body ached of it.

The feeling diminshed somewhat when Galen was with her, but she still couldn't resist wanting to get in a fight with someone, or perhaps something. She wished, for the umpteenth time, that she had gone with Poppy and the others, but she had been visiting Iliana at one of the daybreak centers at the time they had departed. And although Galen had filled her in when she had gotten back, he didn't know where the group had went.

Speaking of Galen, she thought, maybe she should just go find him. At least that would be nice. But, no—she had a better idea!

She would find Jez.

Jez loved to fight, and she was a great opponent, as well. Even if it wasn't a real fight, at least it would help drain her tension away.

Feeling considerably better at the mere thought of releasing her energy, she started toward Jez's room. She knocked twice on the door, but nobody answered.

"Jez?" She called out. "Jez…"

She pushed the door open, but nobody was inside. Well…if Jez wasn't in her room, than the second most likely option was Morgead's room…but if she was in there, than Keller really didn't want to interupt. She turned to go...but almost ran into Sarah Strange and her two 'bodyguards'. One of them was Kierrlan Drache—the last wildpower. The other was Mal Redfern Harmen—a man who was half witch _and _half vampire. They flanked Sarah on either side.

"Oh, sorry." She apologized briefly, and then turned to go, but Sarah's voice brought her back.

"Are you looking for Jez?"

Keller raised her eyebrows.

"Yes. Why? Do you know where she is?"

Sarah bit her lip. "Not exactly, but I can guess…I think her Uncle is caught up in something bad. I told her the adress, and I think she might have went after him."

"Her Uncle Brakken?" Keller demanded, hurrying back down the hallway. "I met him once—I helped Rashel and Quinn transport him to a new safe spot, just a week or so ago. First Poppy's cousin…then Maggie and Hannah…and now Mr. Brakken. I don't like this. Quick. Sarah, do you remember that adress?"

"I—I'm not sure…" she started off, weakly.

Keller stepped closer. "Please. I need to know."

"Hey." Mal—the dark haired one with steel eyes—warned. "Give her some space."

Kierlan—the one with auburn hair and flashing eyes—shot Mal a faint, hard to decipher look, but nodded. "She's doing her best."

Keller stepped back, relucatatnly. While Sarah thought, Keller let her gaze flicker from Mal to Kierlan and then back again. They seemed to both be the exact same distance away from Sarah, and both learning toward her, just slightly. She was not the first one to wonder what, exactly, the two boy's relationships were to Sarah.

It was obvious that Kierlan viewed her as his, and when the three had first arrived, he had openly annouced that they were soulmates.

And yet…although Mal had not stepped out and said anything, there was no way to mask the looks he gave Sarah, especially when he thought noone else was looking…and there was no way to mistake the way that Sarah returned those looks,even if unintentionally.

But right now, Keller didn't have time to think about that. Her instincts were tingling off the wall—so hard that her palms were physically shaking. And then, finally—finally—Sarah's complexion brightened.

"Oh, yes! I think I remember…"

She listed off a sting of numbers and Keller nodded, once. Quick.

"Thank you." She said, and started to run off—only to be stopped by Sarah's nervous, slightly wavering voice. She turned back around.

"Let me go with you." She said.

Everyone reacted differently, but all at once. Kierlan's mouth fell open, and he grabbed for her hand—trying to pull her close, as if to shield him. Mal shook his head quickly, grabbed her other hand, and tugged. Sarah was yanked to both sides, but did not protest. And Keller simply stood, looking perfectly neutral. In fact, everything inside of her was confused. Frail, delicate little Sarah Strange trying to charge into battle? She would have laughed if she could open her mouth—and Sarah seemed to sense that.

"Please. I know I don't look strong, but I do get visions—and that could help. Plus, you could use all the people you could get…and I don't want to stay here, at the house, not being able to help anyone. I can't do that anymore."

It was the last line that changed Keller's mind. Up until then, she had been listening, but already set on denying her request. It was true that Sarah's visions could help her, and more people were never a disadvantage, but Keller wasn't so sure that Sarah wouldn't get herself killed…but in Sarah's voice, she heard the longing, heartbreaking sadness that Keller had been feeling since the other's left, as well. It was the feeling of not being able to help, of being useless.

Keller nodded.

"Thank you." Sarah said, and her eyes flashed with determination. She tried taking a step toward Keller, but her hands were locked in place.

"Mal, Kierlan, let go of me." She said gently.

And if the two guys were always at oppositions, at least now they were strung together, held by the mutual need to _keep Sarah safe. _

"You can't go." Kierlan said plainly. "You can't."

"I have to."

"You don't _have _to do anything!" He argued. "You can stay right here, safe."

"I don't want to."

"Dammit!" Kierlan said, and he struck out at the wall. It left a considerable dent—Keller fought the urge to whistle. "Mal, reason with her, will you?"

"It's dangerous out there." Mal said; his voice was cool and deep, like rivers slipping over polished rocks. "We can't let you go."

"You don't get to decide that, though." Sarah said, simply and serenely, with only a touch of sadness to her voice. Keller found herself respecting the waifish girl just a bit more—she had more determination than she gave her.

Mal looked conflicted, but then he sighed.

"It's obvious, you're not going to listen to reason." He said. "You never do. So fine, let's go."

Keller perked up.

"You're going, too?" She asked.

He would be a huge assett.

"If Sarah's going, of course we're going." Kierlan stepped in, eyeing her with increduality. Still holding Sarah's hand, he started down the hallway.

"But wait—Thierry said that the wildpowers were to stay in the building." Sarah protested, looking up at him with her huge, starry eyes.

Kierlan didn't take his eyes off of her as he said, "Like Hell, I'm staying."

Keller loped up in front of them and starting toward the door. Behind her, she could still hear Sarah protesting and Kierlan staying firm. But she felt hope rise up in her, sharper than it had been for days. She was going to help Jez, and whoever else needed it, and everything was going to be okay. She had backup, and Galen would stay at Thierry's house, out of harm's way, and the mystery was going to be solved, and nobody was going to be hurt.

And as they left the door, and hopped into one of Thierry's car, Keller could not know how wrong she really was.

Thank you! Almost done! Aieee! Please keep R and R ing and then I'll try to post chapters soon!


	11. The Merge

Disclaimer: Nothing is what I own.

_"If Sarah's going, of course we're going." Kierlan stepped in, eyeing her with incredulity. Still holding Sarah's hand, he started down the hallway._

_"But wait—Thierry said that the wildpowers were to stay in the building." Sarah protested, looking up at him with her huge, starry eyes._

_Kierlan didn't take his eyes off of her as he said, "Like Hell, I'm staying."_

_Keller loped up in front of them and starting toward the door. Behind her, she could still hear Sarah protesting and Kierlan staying firm. But she felt hope rise up in her, sharper than it had been for days. She was going to help Jez, and whoever else needed it, and everything was going to be okay. She had backup, and Galen would stay at Thierry's house, out of harm's way, and the mystery was going to be solved, and nobody was going to be hurt._

_And as they left the door, and hopped into one of Thierry's car, Keller could not know how wrong she really was._

**Gillian's POV: **

"I'm fine. No, really. _I'm fine._" Mary Lynette wiped the tears off of her face, and stood up, somewhat shakily. "I'm sorry for that. I don't usually cry, or anything. It's just—just—,"

And then she lapsed back into frantic sobs.

Anyone could plainly see that she was not fine. Gillian automatically reached out to her, sinking to her knees so that she could read the emotion in Mary Lynette's eyes—so she could try and guess what was wrong. Was she hurt? Gillian didn't see any blood, but she was crying _so much. _

"I'm not trying to be rude, Mary Lynette, but we've got to get out of here." Quinn said. He was holding Rashel around the waist, and Gillian could trace the struggling tendons in his arms—he was trying so hard to control himself, to not just take Rashel and rush her out of the dangerous place.

Gillian couldn't exactly blame him. She was so blessed that David had not been here, today; he was visiting his family, back home, for the week. When the attack had started, the first thing that had flashed through her mind was, _Thank the goddess that David's gone. _To have your soulmate in danger—even if you were, too—was the worst kind of pain Gillian could imagine.

"Of course. Yes, let's—let's go."

Gillian offered Mary Lynette a hand, and she pulled herself up, trying to compose herself. The group travelled through the body littered hallways, rhythematically checking for any survivors as they struggled toward the exit. Gillian kept glancing at Iona, searching for the fear that must be clouding her mind, but the child's eyes were clear, if concerned. Gillian had to pinch herself; it was so hard to remember that, although Iona looked young, she was much older than herself.

Although the Circle Daybreak center had held nearly forty people, there was no one living on the floor. It made a shiver go up and down Gillian's spine to see all those bodies. She had to keep reminding herself that they were going to go to a better place. Who knew? Maybe Gary would be there to welcome them. But still—all their friends. All their families.

"It's awful." Rashel said, miming her thoughts. "How could anyone kill people like this? Without a thought? They're monsters."

Quinn did not flinch, but pain flashed through his eyes. Rashel was in the lead, so she couldn't see, but Gillian noticed. At Thierry's place, Rashel had explained to her that Quinn now felt awful about his less than savory past, and no matter how many people he saved, he was still ashamed of the people he had murdered. Gillian frowned. She knew what it was like to have a past you weren't proud of. As they walked outside to Thea's van, Gillian reminded herself to make an amulet of renewal for Quinn. It would help him release his old feelings and embrace the new, and plus, it would give her another opportunity to practice her new witchcraft skills.

"How did you end up here, Mary Lynette?" Thea asked gently, as they piled into the car. Hugh got passenger, Quinn, Rashel, and Iona all piled in the back, and she and Mary Lynette took the seats in the middle.

"M'lynn?" Rashel prodded, when she didn't answer.

After a moment, Mary Lynette whispered something so quiet that even in perfect silence they could not hear her response.

"What was that?" Gillian asked, straining closer.

Mary Lynette whispered it again, and Gillian, sitting next to her, was the only one who could hear. When she did, though, she understood exactly why Mary Lynette was crying. Why she looked as though her life had no meaning. Why she was barely talking.

"What? What'd she say? Gillian?"

"Ash." Gillian choked out. Even though he wasn't her own soulmate, just saying the words made her feel dizzy with empathy. Drowning in Mary Lynette's sorrow. "He's…he's…Ash is—,"

"Dead." Mary Lynette said, and now her voice was not drowning, it was simply numb. Desynthesized. Like she was an automan.

Nobody in the car responded. Nobody could. After all, what could you say to something like that? What words of comfort were there to be had? Even Quinn and Rashel, who both had no problem speaking their minds, were silent. Suddenly, the tension in the air was palpable. Gillian found herself constantly opening her mouth, feeling like she should at least be saying sorry, but then closing it, reminding herself that if anyone said a simple "sorry" to David…being drastically injured (it hurt even to think the word)…then she'd start crying harder.

"Turn left," Rashel said, eventually, her voice muted. "Miles just texted me directions."

Gillian looked at her, confused, and in a whisper Rashel filled her in with what was happening. She nodded, simply. There was no question of whether she was going to go help—of whether any of them were. Well, except for Iona, of course. Because there was no way Gillian was going to let Iona fight, no matter how many times she had died and come back to life.

"They have a plan, and they're not going to wait for us long. Delos almost ripped Blaise's head off."

"I wouldn't blame him," Thea said, lamely, in a pitiful attempt to lighten the atmosphere. Nobody answered.

They pulled up to the discreet hut that Rashel directed them to, and climbed out of the car. Gillian wrapped Mary Lynette in a hug. Even though Gillian was so petite, Mary Lynette felt like the small one. Like half of her had just melted away. Her soulmate half.

"Mary Lynette. I know you don't want to hear a sorry right now. But I can't not! I'm so, so sorry." Poppy cried out, running out of the house. Rashel had obviously filled them in. As she got closer, Gillian could see that tears were streaming down Poppy's elfin face, and at first she thought for sure that some other tragedy had occurred.

But, no. Poppy just felt for everyone.

"Come inside. Sit down. I'll get you something to drink. Water? Milk? Anything? Oh, please, no, don't cry, no, Mary Lynette." Poppy cried with her, and both girls stumbled inside the house.

Inside, the tension was even more thick than inside the car. Not only was Ash dead, but Phil, Hannah, and Maggie were all in danger of the same. Gillian had never been more afraid of Thierry or Delos in her life. And James was looking pained, too. It took her a minute to remember that Ash and him were cousins. Even though James never had anything to say but small insults and teases to Ash, she knew they the cousins had grown a lot closer ever since Ash had met Mary Lynette. Which was probably why James was going over to her now, talking in a hushed voice.

"Now, I don't expect everyone to come with us." Thierry was saying loudly, in a voice as cold as frozen steel. "This is going to be dangerous. And not everyone will come back uninjured. But we could use all the help we could get. No, we need all the help we can get. We don't plan on taking survivors. Anyone who has had a hand in hurting us—from whomever touched Phil, Hannah, and Maggie, all the way to the bastard that killed Ash—they will be dead by the end of the night. But we won't be able to avenge our friends—our family—without help."

Thierry had a natural leading voice. Hearing him talk, Gillian would have been persuaded to join the cause even if she was on the other side. Solemnly, she stepped forward, clearly marking herself as part of the rescue team. She wasn't the best with a knife, but she knew a few tricks. She had been meeting with some other witches, and she had a few potions, and a few charms, up her sleeve. Behind her, she felt the shuffle of feet, until a significant portion (i.e. all) of the room was standing up.

Poppy. James. Rashel. Quinn. Mary Lynette, destroyed as she was. Thea. Hugh. Blaise, who for once, was looking oddly serious. Delos, of course. Miles. Lupe. Even Iona had tried to stand up, but Gillian pushed her back to the other side of the room, and eventually the child had pouted but stayed back.

"Thank you." Thierry said, and although his voice was still hard, it was also touched.

"Then we can go—," he started, right before the door slammed open.

"Not without us, no."

And there at the door was the wildest group Gillian had ever seen. At the front was a stunning girl with waving red hair and eyes that seemed to pierce straight through you. Only slightly behind her was a dark haired guy who radiated bad-assness. And behind the two of them was a ridiculously tiny child—a girl that belonged with Iona, but who looked ready to kill nether-the-less—, a girl whose hair covered half of her face, and a guy who was smiling even in the tense atmosphere. Gillian didn't recognize any of them, but apparently everyone else did.

"Jez!" Hugh ran toward the redhead and caught her in a hug.

"Jez, Morgead, who let you two firehouses out? Tell them thanks."

"You came! Even after Thierry said no? Wow. Now that's dangerous, Jez."

"I'm so glad you're here."

Gillian didn't think it could get any crazier until someone knocked at the door a second time. When Jez opened it, there was another group of people that Gillian didn't really know. Except for one of them. One of them looked strangely like Rashel. Dark hair, tanned skin, an unmistakably predatory feel. Behind her was a close knit group of three. They all trailed into the house, closing the door behind them.

"Keller? I didn't know you were following us." The redhead, Jez, remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know I wouldn't miss out on the fun. The physic and co wanted to come, too."

"Well, now we have a party." Rashel said.

"A party to die for." Quinn agreed, and everyone stilled.

"Well, then, if there aren't any more additions to our group, let's go collect some bodies." Delos started toward the door. He hadn't made it halfway through when it opened once more. Apparently whoever had been on the other side had been listening. When he stepped inside, no one knew what to say.

No one, that was, except for one person.

"You," Mary Lynette gasped, blinking with disbelief. She strode forward, pushing Gillian aside. "You can't be here. No. You can't be alive. You're supposed to be dead. _Dead. _I stabbed you. Twice."

"So sorry." Ash said. He shrugged, looking bored. "What can I say? I'm not good at fulfilling expectations. Now, anyone miss me?"

So, I'm really sorry. For not, you know, updating in almost forever. I could make excuses, but I won't, because I have none. I just haven't updated in almost forever. But this chapter is pretty long, which is a good sign. And, I'm almost done. So that is also good. Because it means closure. Closure for me. And closure for you. I think this can be done in two more chapters. Maybe three, if I'm including an epilogue, which I think I might. So, there. I hope you liked this chapter.

And if you did, please review, because really, you make my day. I'm going to try and reply to all reviews now, to thank you personally.

Also, if you did not like it, please review, because otherwise how else am I supposed to get better? You may not be making my day, but you're making me a better writer. So thank you, as well.


	12. The Brink

Disclaimer: Still nothing. Alas.

***Also, this chapter skips from point of view to point of view. Changes in character/scene will be in bold.***

_"Well, then, if there aren't any more additions to our group, let's go collect some bodies." Delos started toward the door. He hadn't made it halfway through when it opened once more. Apparently whoever had been on the other side had been listening. When he stepped inside, no one knew what to say._

_No one, that was, except for one person._

_"You," Mary Lynette gasped, blinking with disbelief. She strode forward, pushing Gillian aside. "You can't be here. No. You can't be alive. You're supposed to be dead. Dead. I stabbed you. Twice."_

_"So sorry." Ash said. He shrugged, looking bored. "What can I say? I'm not good at fulfilling expectations. Now, anyone miss me?"_

**_Poppy's P.O.V. _**

Ash had barely finished his sentence when Mary-Lynette sprung forward, her nails curving into claws. Ash only just managed to dive to the side, and Mary-Lynette took off a chunk of wall where his head used to be.

"What the…?" Rashel demanded. "Mary-Lynette, what are you _doing_?"

"Oh, that's not Mary-Lynette," Ash said, and his voice wasn't bored anymore. It was full of hate. Before Poppy could even process it, he had lunged at Mary-Lynette and was taking out a wickedly curved blade and he was slicing off—

Poppy's thought broke off in horror. Even with her newly coordinated vampire skills, she couldn't help but stumble backwards. James caught her before she fell and both of them watched, too numb to make a move, as Mary-Lynette let out a roar so loud, so inhuman that none of them knew what to do.

And then she sagged to the floor, and Ash was leaning against the wall again, tossing something hard and curved up and down in his hand. It was a long moment before anyone spoke.

"What just happened?" Thierry finally asked, carefully, less Ash spring at any of them.

"Easy. That thing is _not _Mary-Lynette." He brandished the thing in his hand, and Poppy realized that it was a horn. "It was a dragon. A weak one, too, I might add. And stupid. It wouldn't have even had a chance at me if I hadn't been—er, surprised—by its appearance."

If Poppy needed any more proof than the horn in Ash's hand, she had it. Mary-Lynette's form was shimmering now, dissolving into a massive, scaled, hideous _thing. _Ohmygod. She had _hugged _that thing! She wrapped her arms around James harder, and squeezed, trying to get the memory out of her mind.

"So, if that was a dragon, then…where is Mary-Lynette?" Poppy asked, purposely keeping her eyes off of the dragon, and trained on Ash.

Because of this, she had a perfect view of his eyes, and the way that suddenly all and any good temper, humor, nonchalance, and most of all, normality was suddenly sucked away. Now there was an intensity that shook Poppy to her core. She had never seen James's cousin so—focused. And even more strange was the feeling that he had simply been masking the emotion all along. That this was Ash's true self. She remembered the glittering way Ash had tried to flirt with her when she had first turned into a vampire, and when she compared him to the Ash of now, they were two completely different beings.

"Well, now," Ash said, taking in a deep breath. He tried to mask the sheer intensity of his eyes, but failed. "That's the question, isn't it?"

**Hannah's POV: **

"Mary-Lynette? Oh no, what happened to you?"

Hannah stared in horror as Ash's soulmate was pushed into her room by some minion, who just as quickly shut the door. She had never actually met Mary-Lynette, but when Hannah had met Ash at Thierry's mansion she was all Ash had ever talked about. He had even showed her a picture of her, and this classic beauty with the thick chestnut mane and the defiant blue eyes exactly matched the mark. Except, in the picture she didn't have a thick, bloody line down her chest, or a nasty red welt on her cheek. Or the dozen other cuts or scrapes, for that matter. Besides a few slaps and the initial scuffle, Hannah and Maggie had been pretty much left alone. Mary-Lynette, it appeared, had not.

"Who are you, and how do you know my name?" Mary-Lynette asked, and even though she was positively dripping blood onto the floor, she didn't look panicked or scared, just curious and a little bit resigned.

"My name is Hannah. I know your soul—I know Ash." She finished, not knowing if Mary-Lynette would like Ash being referred to as her soulmate. Ash had said something about Mary-Lynette being angry at him. Personally, Hannah understood about having a soulmate with a sketchy pass (Thierry _had _killed her, after all) but she couldn't understand not forgiving your soulmate. To her, taking Thierry back had been the only choice.

"Oh. Hello." Mary-Lynette said, and her voice was cautious. Appraising.

"I'm Maggie. That's Phil." Maggie said, making a move as if to wave, but then remembering that her hands were bound, as were Phil's. After the dragon had made his ultimatum, he had ordered someone to tie him up as well. But…Mary-Lynette's weren't. And the dragon was nowhere in sight.

The first prickle of excitement begin to well up in Hannah, deep inside of her.

"M'lynn. Mary-Lynette. Please. Hurry. Untie us, before _he _comes back. Hurry."

Confused but willing, Mary-Lynette scurried over to Hannah and started tugging at the tightly knotted cords that bound her hands.

"They're tight, so try not to move." Mary-Lynette ordered. After nearly three minutes—three prolonged, fearful, nerve raking minutes—she let out a sound of triumph. "There. You're good."

Hannah raised her hands up, and cautiously felt the deep red welts there. She squeezed her fingers, and her wrists throbbed, but beyond that, she was OK. She turned to Phil; Mary-Lynette was already working on Maggie.

"When did you get here?" Hannah asked, as she worked.

"I don't know. I think two days, but it's hard to tell time, here. All I know is, one moment I'm at Harvard, trying to get my major in astronomy, and the next Ash is calling me, panicked, saying he's in trouble, and he can't explain, but will I meet him in some safe house? The next thing I know, someone's grabbed me from behind and is trying to stuff me into a car. Of course, I kicked him on the shin, but he had backup."

"But why?" Maggie blurted out. "Why you, I mean? Delos is my soulmate, and he's a wild power. So I understand kidnapping me, and Hannah is soulmated with one the most powerful vampires in existence…I think they kidnapped Phil because they knew at least one of us would try and help Poppy find him…but, well, why you? No offense or anything, but why go through all that trouble? Does Ash have some huge secret he's hiding, or something?"

"Well, Ash, no…I don't think." Mary-Lynette said, and Hannah instinctively turned to face her. Something about her tone made her think she was hiding something. "Not Ash. But, well…"

"What is it? Do you know something?" Hannah asked. "Something important?"

Taking a deep breath, Mary-Lynette turned toward her.

"Yes. Yes, I do." She said. "They've been trying to get it out of me for hours."

"What is it?"

"Not here." Mary-Lynette said. "Let's get these two free, get out of here, and then I'll tell you."

Hannah nodded, turning back to Phil. She was finally starting to get the knot free. Four more tugs, now. Three. Two more.

And—

The door slammed open.

Hannah dropped Phil's rope, and gaped upwards, her insides plunging with despair. They had been so close. _So close. _

It was the same auburn haired man who had given them water—the one who had reminded her of Jez, with his odd ringed eyes, no matter that his were green and hers were like a handful of mist. But that was impossible, of course, because nobody related to Jez would be working for a dragon. The man was holding a length of rope—he had been sent to secure Mary-Lynette, obviously.

"I—we were just, that is," Phil stammered, trying to be the face of logic for them, seeing as the rest of them had no idea what to say. _Er, sorry, we're just trying to escape here…will only be a minute. "_Um, seeing if…"

The man looked backwards, seeing if anyone was in the hallway, and then back at them, bewildered and confused and, Hannah realized, conflicted. Very, very conflicted. He wasn't sure what to do.

_"Please." _She said in a fierce whisper. She leapt to her feet, and strode closer to him, until he was backed up against the wall.

She looked up into his eyes, and they really were so similar to Jez's. So ridiculously similar. Hannah took a gamble.

"Please. If you care about Jez. If you care about her and her friends. Please."

Something wild sparked in his eyes at the mention of Jez, and Hannah knew that she had been correct in her assumption. This man was somehow related to Jez. The man was breathing deeply now, his chest going up and down so fast that Hannah was worried that he was having a break down. And then he reached into his jeans pocket. When his hand came out it held a wooden dagger. Before Hannah could ask what he was doing, the man plunged the dagger into his own stomach.

He crumpled to the floor, wheezing in pain, but holding in his screams. "Someone didn't check you well enough; this was in your shoe. Mary-Lynette retrieved it when she came in. I was taken by surprise."

"Thank you." Hannah said, her eyes wet. "Thank you so much."

All the man said was, "Tell Jez I'm sorry. There was no other way."

"Come on, Hannah." Maggie said, yanking her by the hand, just as Mary-Lynette finished Phil's ropes.

Hannah nodded.

They crept out of the room, and down the hallways. Hannah fervently hoped that the man would be okay. That the dragon would believe his story. Because if not, he had just committed suicide. The halls were incredibly creepy. All dark and shadowy, when the feeling that someone would jump out of the corner at any second. Hannah gripped Maggie's hand, and her friend squeezed back, a show of support on both side.

"There!" Hannah said, pointing to a pool of light. Trying not to scream with excitement, the four of them reached the door. Hannah was the one to try the knob.

_Please don't be locked. Please don't be locked. Please don't be locked. _

And miracles of all miracles, it wasn't. She pulled open the door and they flooded out into the streaming sun. All was going to be okay!

And then the door opened again. Hannah didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Going somewhere?" A chilling voice whispered in her ear.

**Jez's POV: **

They had only just reached the address Sarah had given them when they saw a door open. Maggie, Hannah, a boy who had to be Poppy's brother, and—(as Ash's gasp would have her think)—Mary-Lynette all crept out the door. Delos was behind her, and she was almost knocked aside as he lunged forward, his mouth prepared to scream Maggie's name.

Snake-fast, she grabbed him by the collar, watching as Rashel did the same to Thierry, and as Keller grabbed Poppy with one hand and Ash with the other. Jez shared a look with Rashel and Keller, who both had the same instinct as she.

"Wait." She whispered in Delos's ear.

Sure enough, before a second had passed, the door had opened, and a tall, dark haired man (one with four little horns on the top of his head) had stalked outside, and bent down to whisper in Hannah and Maggie's ear.

Delos lunged forward once more, and it took all her strength to hold him in place.

"Wait." She hissed, more fierce this time. "Wait until he turns. Then we attack. All of us."

"Three." Rashel said.

"Two." Keller said.

That was when a dozen henchmen burst out from the building, looking around—for them. Someone had tipped them off. Jez cursed. Suddenly things had just gotten a lot worse. But there was no time to dwell on that, because there was no turning back now. This was full out war. And no matter what happened, there was going to be trouble. She turned to Morgead. Kissed him once, too quickly for him to do anything but exhale.

"I love you." She whispered, only for his ears.

Then she looked up.

"One." She said.

It was time.

Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I really enjoy reading them :D

Also, prepare yourselves, because there hasn't been many blows, yet, but what's a battle without a couple deaths? And not everyone's going to survive.

To see if your favorite soulmates make it, please keep reading! Thank you, all!


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